In the very beginning of 2023, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) released its final report on the early parliamentary elections that were held in Italy on 25th September 2022. This report thoroughly assessed the procedural matters concerning the election, as also included the ODIHR’s recommendations for future elections to come (more on this Strengthening Democracy: OSCE's Review of the 2022 Italian Parliamentary Elections). This report was later presented by election experts in the Italian Senate in Rome on 30 May 2023. 

In February, Ambassador Stefano Baldi (Permanent Representative to OSCE since January 4, 2021, and former Italian Ambassador to Bulgaria) took part, alongside Representatives to the OSCE of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and United States of America, in a five-day regional tour of the Western Balkans. In North Macedonia, above many engagements, the Ambassadors participated in the Conference on Addressing Anti-Semitism in the OSCE Region and held a meeting with the President, Prime Minister, Defence Minister of North Macedonia, as well as the 2023 OSCE Chair-in-Office and Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani. The Ambassadors released a statement saying: “[...] We fully support the agenda of North Macedonia’s OSCE Chairpersonship to advance peace, prosperity, and human rights for the benefit of the one billion citizens of the OSCE region.” Afterwards the group delegation travelled to Kosovo and met with the country's Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Speaker of the Assembly. They also visited the Headquarters and Regional Centres of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. Lastly, the Ambassadors finished their tour with a visit to Belgrade, where they met with the Serbian President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. It is worth of note, that apart from all the meetings held on the highest level, the delegations also met with representatives of civil society in each of the three countries. 

On 11 May 2023, the 1422nd meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council took place. Most notably, the ‘Report on the serious threat to the OSCE human dimension in Belarus since 5 November 2020’ was presented. It was created because in March of 2023, 38 OSCE participating states, including Italy, invoked the Moscow Mechanism regarding Belarus. Minister Plenipotentiary Massimo Drei issued a national statement, in which he urged the authorities to accept and implement the report’s recommendations and seize to evoke repression policies. Above this, he asserted support and utmost respect to the Belarusian people, who continuously fight to promote human rights, the rule of law and the building of a free and democratic society, despite being under constant subjugation of the regime. 

During the OSCE Permanent Council meeting, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro presented the ‘Regular Report to the Permanent Council’. Regarding the report, Ambassador Baldi emphasised Italy’s support for the Representatives initiatives in defence of freedom of media and expression in times of an alarming regress of human rights and repression of civil society on a global scale. Ambassador Baldi recalled journalists tragically killed or wounded in action and conveyed gratitude to all media workers, who engage in war zones on a daily basis in order to inform the public of ongoing war crimes. He also reiterated Italy’s support for the project on the safety of journalists, promoted by the Representative on Freedom of the Media, which aimed to strengthen the implementation of the coinciding Ministerial Decision adopted during the Italian OSCE Chairpersonship of 2018. 

Ambassador Baldi also spoke out during the OSCE side event on the margins of the 32nd session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which was dedicated to promoting a whole-of-society approach to youth crime prevention. The seminar mentioned the work and experience of an OSCE project funded by Italy in the Western Balkans, focusing on three pillars: youth participation, civil society involvement and regional cooperation.

In March, Italy took part, alongside the countries of Albania, Georgia, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Türkiye and its Mediterranean partner – Tunisia, in a two-week train-the-trainer course and curriculum development workshop for border security officers, which was organised by the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department and funded by the United States of America. This initiative was established in 2016 as the OSCE Mobile Training Team (MTT), and its goal is to tackle potential foreign terrorist fighters and prevent other cross-border crimes from happening. Italy’s role in the project by sending a high-profile national expert was greatly appreciated by the OSCE Secretariat and as stated, reaffirmed its commitment in the aforementioned area and in the organization’s politico-military sphere. 

The Permanent Mission of Italy to the OSCE also organised the second edition of the cycle of seminars titled: “The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as a model for multilateral regional diplomacy”. These seminars took place virtually from March to May, and they were coordinated by Ambassador Baldi. Students from thirteen Italian universities and the University of San Marino took part in the cycle, as also did students from the University of Padua. The main goal of this initiative was to promote understanding of the organization’s role and strengthen cooperation between diplomacy and academia.

From 23 to 27 October 2023 the Talent Acquisition Programme “Strengthening the Preparation of High-potential Candidates”, endorsed by the OSCE Secretariat’s Department of Human Resources took place at Sant’ Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa. This initiative was organised with financial support from Italy and Austria. It was the second event of similar character, as the first occurred during Italy’s chairmanship of the OSCE in 2018. The course consisted of eleven young women and men from five different less represented participating states of the OSCE and provided them the opportunity to gain knowledge about the responsibilities of international civil servants and the functioning of the OSCE. 

At the close of the year, in December, the OSCE-ODIHR organised a conference on the security needs of the Jewish community in Italy, which took place in Rome. The event was co-organised by the European Commission and the World Jewish Congress as a response to growing antisemitic hate crimes and to reinforce the cooperation between law-enforcement and Jewish communities on matters of safety.

Apart from this, the Permanent Mission of Italy in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Vienna, organised multiple artistic events throughout the year, emphasising and strengthening its diplomatic soft power. Examples of such initiatives are: the Concert of the Stradivari Sextet; panel exhibition on Pietro Vannucci also known as Il Perugino for the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death; Concert “EKO. Sound Reflection for Piano and Electronics” by Martux _m and Lello Petrarca; Paganini in Vienna: A Musical Journey in 1828. 

In conclusion, the presented initiatives of Italy in the OSCE are numerous and are of distinctive character – hailing from political, diplomatic and cultural efforts on the international stage to enhance a better world order. The active role of Ambassador Stefano Baldi is worth acknowledging. To best summarise in what way the Italian Republic perceives the role it holds within the OSCE, one can cite the words of Ambassador Baldi’s speech given during Italy’s Republic Day on 2 June:

In these difficult times, the OSCE remains an invaluable platform for dialogue, confidence building and mutual support among our countries and our peoples. The OSCE continues to deliver valuable activities, through the appreciated work of the Secretariat, of the field missions and of the Autonomous Institutions like ODIHR – the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights [...].